Colossians 2:15 — The Meaning of “Spoiled”
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
— Colossians 2:15 (KJV)
The Greek Word
The KJV translates “spoiled” from the Greek:
ἀπεκδυσάμενος (apekdysamenos)
Root verb:
ἀπεκδύομαι (apekdyomai) — Strong's G554
BibleHub Resources:
Literal Meaning
The word is stronger than the modern English word “spoil.”
- Stripping off clothing
- Completely divesting
- Disarming
- Despoiling a defeated enemy
- Taking away weapons and authority
- Stripping a conquered foe before public humiliation
Many modern translations therefore render it as:
- Disarmed
- Stripped
- Despoiled
- Stripped of power
Roman Triumph Imagery
Paul appears to be using imagery from a Roman triumphal procession.
- The enemy was defeated.
- Weapons and armor were removed.
- Captives were publicly displayed.
- The conquering general led them in triumph.
Christ did not merely inconvenience principalities and powers. He stripped them, disarmed them, exposed them, and publicly displayed His victory over them.
Other New Testament Uses
This exact verb occurs only twice in the New Testament.
Colossians 2:15
“Having spoiled/disarmed principalities and powers...”
Colossians 3:9
“Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”
Here the same root means to strip off or put off clothing. The believer strips off the old man just as one removes a garment.
Related Family Words
- Put off
- Stripped off
- Putting off
- Despoiling
All revolve around the idea of removing a garment completely.
Interesting Observation
The root picture is not primarily “stealing loot.”
The root picture is: “stripping someone bare.”
Thus Colossians 2:15 can be visualized as:
Christ stripped the principalities and powers of their weapons, authority, and glory, then marched them before the universe as defeated enemies in His triumphal procession.
That is considerably stronger than the modern English sense of the word “spoiled.”